With his performance on Sunday, Sean Jones has locked himself into the Free Safety position for good. He began the season as the backup at the SS spot, but has recently solidified himself as a leader on the defensive unit of the Eagles. Of course, that’s what he was signed to be in the offseason free agency period, but was outplayed by rookie Macho Harris in the preseason and therefore missed out on an opportunity to start. However, when Harris suffered an ankle injury in Week 7 against the Redskins, Jones (pictured, #26) was thrust into the starting lineup and has not looked back.

There is no question that the former Brown, who happens to lead the league in interceptions over the past three seasons, has the physical ability to man the position that the legendary Brian Dawkins did. Obviously he is not as aggressive as Dawkins was, but he has done a nice job filling out the secondary. In only a pair of starts, Jones has racked up 11 tackles and has been able to constantly place pressure on opposing Quarterbacks. Overall, he is tied for 6th place on the team in terms of most tackles (with 26 and all but 4 of them being solo). He has also recorded a sack and notched two pass deflections. As if they aren’t enough to insure that the athletic Safety has earned a starting role, he has compiled these statistics and performances against primarily explosive offenses, such as the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys.

Whether you feel Macho Harris deserves to return to his starting position or not, there is no doubting that Sean Jones has played well and should at least garner some respect. Besides, it’s up to the coaching staff to decide who starts and who doesn’t. As witnessed last week when Harris was seen only on special teams plays, it is clear Jones has locked himself into the FS position.